Dengue fever claims nine more lives

Dengue fever killed nine more people in Pakistan's Lahore city area, taking the death toll from the disease in the past two months to 162, officials said. The latest victims of the viral disease, spread by mosquitoes, included five women who died Monday at several Lahore area hospitals, said a report by the state-run Associated Press of Pakistan carried by Dawn newspaper. The Nation reported thousands more, struck by the disease, are fighting for life at various hospitals, with new cases being reported daily. Local health officials said 13,074 dengue patients have recovered and been discharged from hospitals. The World Health Organization is working with Pakistani health authorities to manage the epidemic, increase public awareness and mobilize the local community, CNN reported. Schools in Lahore were closed earlier because of the epidemic, the CNN report said. The U.S. National Library of Medicine says dengue fever is spread by mosquito bites and manifests itself in symptoms including a sudden high fever, rashes, nausea and headaches, the report said.